apartment therapy changing the world, one room at a time

ooooh! cool! do they come in string-lights too??

Awesome! I'm going to get some for my patio!

hey, slightly related, does anyone know how i can make/where i can buy a battery powered lightbulb or led (i have lanterns already, i just need to light them. the led light can be a bit 'cold' though). i know paperlanterns.com sells them, but no good shipping options to canada...
i'm becoming a bit obsessed with this, i'd love any suggestions...

I love these... saw them at Gesthemane last week . They're not super cheap (which is okay), but I couldn't get a sense of how bright they would be.. I think they'll be really nice hanging from the underside of our patio table umbrella.

Can't wait for summer!

I think I'm going to try a DIY of these using a set of 4 solar lawn lights with the stakes removed and regular paper lanterns. I find the solar lights at Harbor Freight for great prices, especially off-season (a little late for that, alas).

In LA, the paper will still hold up, but I think I've seen more durable plastic lanterns at party supply stores. I love the look but can't go there at $25/per! I'll keep you posted...

Evamae - try American Science & Surplus,they have basic battery cases without anything wired to them (note, these are just regular battery holders there's no solar panel wired in). They also sell bulk LEDs. This is fairly simple project that requires only parts and a little soldering. Look for similar projects on instructables.com if you're uncertain how to go about it. AS&S's pages aren't suitable for linking, but you can find what you need by searching for "battery holders". Strangely enough, battery holders will be around 4 items down on the results page. http://www.sciplus.com/

lee corrina - Great idea! That sounds really pretty - much better scenery than the underside of the umbrella. :) Although now that I think about it, I guess you'd have to hang them somewhere else to charge up since they won't get any sun under the umbrella, or find a straight-up battery powered version.

thanks jes!

OMG LOVE!

i love these! gonna order some and then try to figure out how to hang them in the back yard.

i'm also looking for solar lights that sticks into the ground. anybody has any recs?

aspw: I'm not sure if you have them in Chicago, but I always get those at Harbor Freight tools (it's a discount tool store). Sets of 4 are around than $15-20; they always seem to have some in-store on the garden aisle. Barring that, they have them at Lowe's and Home Depot too - there's a crazy selection at those large hardware stores. They usually come in multi-packs (4 or 5), and are pretty economical per light that way. There will also be the wired-in electrical types, which tend to be cheaper, so doublecheck that you are buying the solar version before you check out.

Love it!

evamai - try the battery operated tealights - some of them have a plastic yellowish fake flame that warms up the coldness of the led light.

I got one of these for $15 at Safeway. The led has yellow plastic over it, and gives an extremely beautiful and traditional light, BUT, ONE CANDLE is brighter! I almost returned it, but if you hold it close to the ground, it can be like a really cool flashlight for house and yard!

I need to ask a question though! I'd like to find the same concept, or even make one, that's alot brighter - so I have some free usable light. Any Ideas anyone?